In 2009, ASM began building capacity of national, referral, and district microbiology laboratories that provided quality service in the diagnosis of common and opportunistic infections, and infections of public health significance in Rwanda. A comprehensive program of training and mentorship has served to harmonize microbiology laboratory services throughout the network, including standardization of procedures and documentation; improved quality management systems; and establishment of mechanisms for the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) to review antibiotic resistance data from district hospital laboratories and collect communicable disease data for surveillance.

LabCap in Rwanda

Program Areas

Clinical/Public Health Microbiology

Success Stories

Quality assured detection and reporting of bacterial pathogens by laboratories is critical for the control of infectious diseases, since new strains have the potential to cause epidemics and pandemics. Surveillance of infectious disease requires strong laboratory facilities, appropriate human and financial resources, access to necessary reagents, and strong quality control.

On September 18, 2013, ASM held a stakeholders meeting in Rwanda to develop a country-led plan for improving the functionality of microbiology services within the public health laboratory network. Laboratories in many resource-limited countries are not functioning well enough to meet surveillance needs – provision of quality assured detection and reporting of new or existing pathogens. In Rwanda, although there is a national laboratory network, consistent reporting of routine antibiotic sensitivity data and referral of isolates for further characterization has been a challenge.

Members of the Rwandan Ministry of Health (MOH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Rwanda, the National Reference Laboratory (NRL), Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID)/Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) programs, East African Public Health Laboratory Network (EAPHLN), and various district laboratories drafted a strategy for strengthening the network via long-term, country-led oversight of microbiology laboratory services. Because of the meeting, Rwanda has redefined mechanisms for the NRL to review antibiotic resistance data from district hospital laboratories and communicable disease data for surveillance, based on the consensus of those most invested with the laboratory network - clinicians, surveillance officers, laboratorians, MOH officials, and partners.